Self-winding watch or timepiece operated through a swinging weight



Oct. 28, 1958 2,857,733

G. MAIRE SELF-WINDING WATCH OR TIMEPIECE OPERATED THROUGH A SWINGING WEIGHT Filed June 17, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 In //I FIG 3 8 2 45 I. A I -a f s I v i i 5 45 4 :2 x y r; FIG-4 Oct. 28, 1958 G. MAIRE 2,857,733

SELF-WINDING WATCH OR TIMEPIECE OPERATED THROUGH A swmcmc WEIGHT Filed June 17, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ll 1 I J I -:1'. a 3 7. i

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Oct. 28, 1958 G. MAIRE 2,857,733

NDING WATCH 0 SELF-WI R TIMEPIEICE OPERATED THROUGH A SWINGING WEIGHT Filed June 17, 1955 SY Sheets-Sheet 3 F/GJI FIG. 42 36 IIIIIQ 43 rawh United States Patent SELF-WINDING WATCH OR TIMEPIECE OPER- ATED THROUGH A SWINGING WEIGHT Georges Maire, Tavannes, Switzerland, assignor to Tavannes Watch Co., S. A., Tavannes, Switzerland, a Swiss firm Application June 17, 1955, Serial No. 516,190

Claims priority, application Switzerland June 19, 1954 7 Claims. (Cl. 58-82) My invention has for its object a self-winding watch or timepiece operated through a swinging weight. According to a main feature of my invention, the bearing member revolubly carrying said swinging weight is shiftably mounted on the frame carrying the movement, said bearing member being centered on the frame through the agency of two annular cooperating elements coaxial with the axis of said bearing member and carried respectively by the latter and by the frame, while elastic means urge normally said two elements against each other and allow them to move transiently apart under the action of a shock.

I have illustrated by way of example in accompany-- ing drawings a preferred embodiment of the object of my invention together with various modifications thereof.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a timepiece.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through line Il-II of Fig. 1 on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2 at a moment at which the swinging weight receives an axial shock. v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 at a moment at which the weight is assumed to receive a radial shock.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a detail.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a further detail on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of said detail.

Fig. 8 is an axial cross-section on a smaller scale of a portion of a watch.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 8 at the moment of a radial shock exerted on the winding up weight.

Figs. 10 and 11 are sectional views, similar to that of Fig. 9, of two modifications.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a detail modification.

Fig. tion.

Turning to Figs. 1 to 9, the watch illustrated includes a swinging winding up weight, the main section of which is shown, at 1. Said weight is carried by a spindle 2 of which a collar 2a is driven into the weight 1; said spindle revolves inside the two elementary bearings formed by the stones 3 and 4. These stones are driven into the bearing member 5. The latter is provided with a sleeve and an outer flange 5a on which is formed a frusto-conical seat 6 engaging a corresponding seat 7 formed in a bridge plate 3 carrying the movement. An annular spring 9, including in alternation upper and lower parts, as illustrated separately on an enlarged scale in Figs. 6 and 7 engages through its upper parts the recesses 10 formed in the outer surface of the bearing member 5. The said spring 9 engages furthermore through its outwardly projecting lower parts a groove 11 formed inside the bridge plate 8. Said spring is given an undulating shape so that it may act axially on the bearing member 5 and urge the 13 is a cross-section of a further detail modificatwo frusto-conical surfaces 6 and 7 into contacting relationship which ensures a proper centering of the bearing member. In addition thereto, this urges a flat surface 12 formed on the upper side of the outer flange 5a, against the lower surface 13 of the bridge plate 8. The upper parts of the spring 9 formed by inwardly directed lugs 9a (Fig. 7) enter the recesses 10 in the bearing member 5, as stated and as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Longitudinal cuts 14 are provided in the bearing member so as to make the recess-es 10 communicate with the upper end of the bearing member and to allow the spring 9 to be fitted in position on said bearing member.

A wheel 45 forming part of the winding up gear revolves freely over an axial projection 811, on the bridge plate 8 and it is held in position by the flange 5a on the bearing member 5. The operative connection between said wheel 45 and the swinging weight 1 need not be described or illustrated since it forms no part of the present invention.

The weight 1 is held in position by a bolt 15 provided with a bent section 15a extending through an opening 16 in the wall of the hollow upper end of the spindle 2, said section 1511 being fitted between the two stones 3 and 4. The bolt 15 is held in position on the flat section of the weight by a rivet 17 rigid with the bolt and the head 17a of which is slidingly housed inside a recess 18 formed in the lower surface of the flat section of the weight 1. Said bolt may slide longitudinally in a manner such that its end 15a is released with reference to the stones 3 and 4 so as to allow the weight to be removed. The bolt 15 is held in its operative position illustrated in Fig. 2 by the head 19a of a pin 19 housed inside the plate section 1 and adapted to engage partly an opening 20 formed in the bolt.

When the semi-circular flange 10 carried at the periphery of the plate section 1 as illustrated in Fig. 8 is submitted to an axial shock, the annular fiat section of the weight 1 has a tendency to assume an oblique position with reference to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the movement as shown in Fig. 3. The spring 9 yields then and this allows the bearing member 5 to be shifted, said spring returning thenafter the bearing member into its normal position.

When the weight is submitted to a radial shock it is shifted laterally as illustrated in Fig. 4. By reason of the relative engagement between the two frusto-conical surfaces 6 and 7, this lateral shifting produces an axial shifting of the bearing 5 against the action of the return spring 9.

As apparent from inspection of Fig. 8, the flange section 1a forming the actual winding up mass assumes a semi-cylindrical shape and is housed between the movement-containing frame 20, the bottom 21 of the watch case and the peripheral wall of the case 22. When this weight 1 is submitted to a shock, it abuts against one of said parts enclosing it. Thus, in Fig. 9, the mass 1a is illustrated in the position corresponding to an impact in a radial direction facing outwardly, and its corresponding outwardly directed movement is limited by the inner surface 23 of the peripheral wall 22 of the case. On the other hand, when the radial shock is directed inwardly, the winding up weight abuts against the outer surface 24 of the frame 20 carrying the movement. In the case of an axial shock the winding up weight impinges either against the annular transverse surface 25 formed on the frame 26) or against the upwardly facing annular surface 26 formed on a peripheral section of the case bottom 21 (Fig. 9).

The watchcase illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 is made of three parts, to wit the bottom 21, the peripheral wall 22 and the bezel or rim 27; in a modification the arrangement disclosed may be incorporated into a watch the case of which is made of only two parts as illustrated in Fig. 10, to wit a bottom 28 and a bezel 29 in one with the peripheral wall, the movement being fitted in the case by means of an intermediate cage or frame 39. Gr again I may use as well a watch inside a fluidtight case as shown in Fig. ll wherein the bottom 31 having an upstanding, screw-threaded flange 3112, which is screwed into the second element of the frame including the peripheral wall and the rim as shown at 32 with the insertion therebetwecn of a fluidtight packing 33, while the movement is held inside the case through the pressure exerted by the bottom of the case on the intermediate cage 34 through the agency of elastic means which have not been illustrated.

The frusto-conical seats 6 and 7 providing for the centering of the bearing member may be replaced by differently shaped surfaces or by mere ridges. Thus, in Fig. 12, I have illustrated diagrammatically a modification wherein the bearing member shown at 35 is provided with a frusto-conical surface 36 engaged by the ridge 37 of a shoulder formed on the bridge plate 38 of the movement frame. The opposite arrangement may be provided.

Lastly, in the modification illustrated in Fig. 13, the bolt carries no longer a rivet 17 as in the first embodiment but a flange 39 riveted at 40 to said bolt 15 and extending into the vicinity of the peripheral mass 41:: on the winding up weight 41. This flange 39 is incurved as shown at 3% so as to engage the underside of a flange 42a of the bridge 42 forming part of the self-winding system. A radial pin 43 rigid with the weight la extends transversely into an opening formed in the incurved part 3% of the flange 39 and serves as a guide for the latter. When the flange 39 occupies the position illustrated in Fig. 13 corresponding to the operative location of the bolt 15 illustrated in Fig. 2, the terminal part 3% of the bolt abuts against the flange 42a on the bridge-plate 42 at the moment of an axial shock directed upwardly, or against the frame 44 enclosing the movement at the moment of a downwardly directed axial shock. The limitation of the axial movements of the weight is thus obtained independently of the watch case which was not possible in the case of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 9 for instance.

When it is desired to release the weight with a view to dismantling same, the end 15a of the bolt is first released as in the case of the embodiment illustrated in 2 whereby the incurved end 3% of the flange 39 is caused to slide over the pin 43 and to release thus this end with reference to the flange 42a of the bridgeplate What i claim is:

l. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member including a sleeve normally coaxial with the case and an out 'tange coaxially rigid with the sleeve, stones fitted coaxially inside the sleeve of the bearing body, an eccentric winding up weight revolubly mounted in said stones, the flange and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said flange and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a sligr radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight Cc by the bearing member, and an an nular s ll. ng two axially shifted series of sectively through their outer and inner peripheries one of the following parts, the sleeve and the movement frame to urge the said cooperating surfaces towards each other.

2. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member including a sleeve normally coaxial with the case and an outer flange coaxially rigid with the sleeve, stones fitted coaxially inside the sleeve of the bearing body, an eccentric winding up weight revolubly mounted in said stones, the flange and movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said flange and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight carried by the bearing member and an axially elastic peripherally corrugated blade including inwardly directed projections secured in the outer surface of the sleeve, the outer periphery of said blade engaging the movement frame to urge the latter into the position providing interengagemerit between the cooperating surfaces on the flange and on the movement frame.

3. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case, and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member including a sleeve normally coaxial with the case and an outer flange coaxially rigid with the sleeve, spaced stones fitted coaxially inside the sleeve of the bearing body, an eccentric winding up weight including a tubular axial section revolubly mounted in said stones, the flange and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said flange and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said Weight carried by the bearing member, a bolt carried by and adapted to slide radially with reference to the weight to engage the space between the stones and hold the weight axially inside the bearing member, an outer extension rigid with said bolt, an annular shoulder on the movement frame adapted to engage said extension to limit the axial movement of the weight with reference to the movement frame, said extension disengaging said shoulder when the bolt radially releases the stones, and elastic means urging said bearing member and movement frame towards each other against the action of any shocks imparted to the revoluble weight.

4. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member normally coaxial with the case, a winding up weight revolubly carried by said bearing member, the bearing member and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said hearing body and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight carried by the bearing member, said bearing member and movement frame being provided with two further cooperating surfaces perpendicular to the axis of said bearing memher and frame movement respectively and adapted to engage each other and thereby to limit the axial movements of said bearing member, a winding up gear including a wheel coaxial with the bearing member and carried by the frame and resting normally on said further surface of the bearing member perpendicular to the axis of the latter.

5. in a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member normally coaxial with the frame, a dissymmetrical winding up weight revolubly carried by said bearing member, the bearing member and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said bearing member and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight carried by the bearing member, and elastic means fitted between the bearing member and the movement frame to urge said member back into its normal coaxial position, said elastic means having an axis of symmetry registering with the axis of revolution of the winding up weight.

6. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing member including a sleeve normally coaxial with the frame and an outer flange coaxially rigid with the sleeve, spaced stones fitted coaxially inside the sleeve of the bearing body, an eccentric winding up weight including a tubular axial section revolubly mounted in said stones, the flange and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said flange and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight carried by the bearing member, a bolt carried by and adapted to slide radially with reference to the weight to engage the space between the stones and hold the weight axially inside the bearing member, and elastic means fitted between the bearing member and the movement frame to urge said member back into its normal coaxial position, said elastic means having an axis of symmetry registering with the axis of revolution of the winding up weight.

7. In a self-winding timepiece, the combination of a case, a movement, a frame carrying said movement inside the case and coaxial with the latter, a bearing memher normally coaxial with the frame, a dissymmetrical winding up weight revolubly carried by said bearing member, the bearing member and the movement frame being provided with cooperating surfaces coaxial respectively with said bearing member and with the movement frame and adapted to allow a slight tilting motion and a slight radial motion between said bearing member and said movement frame under the action of a shock exerted on said weight carried by the bearing member, an annular spring fitted between the bearing member and the movement frame, said spring having an axis of symmetry registering with the axis of revolution of the winding up weight and including two radially and axially shifted series of sections engaging respectively through their outer and inner peripheries one of the following parts, the bearing member and the movement frame to urge the said cooperating surfaces towards each other into coaxial relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 248,869 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1948 270,583 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1950 281,490 Switzerland June 16, 1952 282,139 Switzerland July 16, 1952 586,719 Germany Oct. 25, 1933 686,871 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1953 1,026,274 France Feb. 4, 1953 1,049,614 France Aug. 19, 1953 

